“The sun shone all week, the wines at the Paleine were wonderful and our hosts were … well hospitable. Thank you Brian and Sheila for your wonderful gites and friendship. We enjoyed the wines – thank you for your knowledge Brian” (guests quote by Geoff and Claire from Sutton Coldfield).

“What a lovely week for the weather, lovely sunshine all the way, along with the wine tasting” (guests quote by Denise, Peter, Sam, Janet, Barbara and John from Coventry).

It’s a busy summer season at Le Clos des Guyons! After lunch we arranged to take our guests on a private wine tour and tasting in the vineyards of Domaine de la Paleine, a prestigious and highly regarded award winning biodynamic winery just around the corner in the heart of the Saumur Puy Notre Dame appellation. With gorgeous blue skies and very hot temperatures we strolled into the vineyards. The vines looked very vibrant and abundant with grapes at this time of the year (just another few weeks now to wait for the vendage and after a sizzling hot summer we are all looking forward to some fantastic wines to enjoy)! During our visit Monsieur and Madame Vincent, the owners of the Domaine, offered us all a very warm welcome along with staff and, of course, Blackberry their friendly Alsation.

Brian explains the parcels of vines, limestone soil of this region and pruning techniques!

Then after touring the vast underground caves of the Domaine (by flashlight on this occasion due to a temporary electrical fault), we headed into the tasting room to start sampling a whole range of appellation wines and vintages (25 … I think we lost count … just so many)! The Loire Valley is the only wine growing region in France which produces high quality wines in every style. Red, white and rosé, still and sparkling, from dry to sweet. In fact, whatever your taste buds desires, there is always an excellent Loire Valley wine to suit!

At the end of the afternoon our guests gave Brian a spontaneous round of applause for his guided wine tour and expert knowledge of wine, followed by a second applause to congratulate Monsieur Vincent for his exceptional quality wines and hospitality.

Understanding the wine making processes and machinery.

Bravo! We had a really enjoyable afternoon together! And afterwards? Well ……… it had to be a short walk up to the Cafe/Bar for non alcoholic refreshments!

Santa Barbara wine tours are the #1 attraction for visitors to Santa Barbara and we are the #1 Wine Tour Company. We run daily wine tours from Santa Barbara to the Santa Ynez Valley. Our wine tasting tours are the best, they are fun, educational, and comfortable. Discover wine tours Santa Barbara style.....